Schooner 'Bowdoin' navigating Strait of Belle Isle, 1947

Navigating the Strait of Belle Isle, which runs between Labrador and Newfoundland, can be tricky at the best of times. Rough seas and sea ice are common for much of each year, as is bad weather ranging from thick fog to outright gales.

Also known as the Labrador Straits, this passage was an essential route to and from the schooner Bowdoin's Arctic destinations.

The schooner was built to tackle tough conditions. Her sturdy hull and short sail rig, aided by a powerful engine, could handle high winds, seas, and ice.

Here Rutherford Platt, who was the botanist on this and other expeditions, captures with his camera the drama of the schooner's bow coming down hard from a wave.